


Birthday Blues

by nhasablog



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Birthday, Canonical Character Death, Drinking, Gen, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 13:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11601339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: Jim’s laugh was humorless. “You know. Why am I even surprised?”Pike couldn’t blame him for his snappy tone. “If it’s any consolation, I remembered it was your birthday first. Which reminds me. Happy birthday.”(Or, Pike realizes it’s Jim’s birthday, which also means it’s the anniversary of George Kirk’s death. Somehow he knows that combination isn’t very good.)





	Birthday Blues

It was Jim’s birthday. Pike realized it the very moment he walked out of his last meeting of the day.

The campus was full of people rushing to the library before it closed to get the books they needed for the weekend, rushing to meet friends after their afternoon classes or shifts, rushing home to dump their bags or fall face first onto their beds. Rushing, rushing, rushing, and Pike was rushing right with them, because the meeting had taken longer than he’d thought and he was meeting Number One and Phil soon and needed to get home to shower and change and get something in his stomach so that the beer wouldn’t hit him too quickly.

But he couldn’t stop thinking of Jim and his birthday and how he should be out celebrating with McCoy and Uhura and whoever else he hung out with at the Academy (Spock? Did he even know Spock?). But he couldn’t shake the realization that had come with the reminder of what day it was.

Because while it was Jim Kirk’s birthday, it was also George Kirk’s death day, and he knew Jim knew it too. The kid might’ve not have gotten to known his father, but he was sure knowing his birth and his late father’s death happened the very same day, merely minutes apart, wasn’t the easiest. He’d never even considered wondering how Kirk usually spent his birthday. Was it a big commotion in order to overshadow the sad parts of it, or did he pretend as if his birthday never existed in the first place? Maybe he celebrated it on another date. That was certainly what Pike would’ve done had he been in his shoes.

But he wasn’t in his shoes, and therefore he didn’t really know  _what_ he would do. Would it be weird to look for him, all of a sudden, without having ever sought him out on a Friday night ever since the school year had started merely six or so months earlier? Would Jim think he pitied him?

So many questions.  _Too_ many questions. His brain was already next to non functioning after that day, and he needed some sort of pick me up before making semi big decisions. So he tried to push Jim Kirk out of his head, for now, and it only sort of worked.

Jim Kirk was hard to forget about, after all.

* * *

 

“You should definitely go find him,” Number One told him an hour or so later when they were all three nursing their first beer. “Not to freak you out, but I think you’re the closest to a father figure he’s ever had.”

Pike snorted and sent her a fond look. “Why would you think that?”

“I’ve heard his home life wasn’t exactly great.”

“And besides,” Phil piped up beside her. “He would probably appreciate the attention from someone he looks up to, because don’t tell me he doesn’t look up to you. The kid basically has a role model-y sort of crush on you.”

“Come off it, both of you.” Oh, they were definitely nearing the end of their first drinks.

“Okay, seriously now. You should go find him,” Phil said, echoing Number One’s words. “Whether he’s with his friends or not, he would appreciate it.”

But before Pike could properly ponder over it his eyes spotted McCoy at a table in the far back. He wasn’t on his own, but he almost looked like it, as submerged as he was in staring at his drink. Uhura and Gaila were sitting opposite of him, and Pike could already tell the seat beside him had been Kirk’s, but he was nowhere in sight, and neither was the drink he’s most likely been nursing.

“Excuse me for a moment,” he said, standing. “I think I might go find Kirk earlier than I thought.”

Phil raised his glass in his direction. “Hey, as long as you’re back before the bar closes.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about that.”

He staggered over to McCoy’s table, slightly aware that they might find it weird that he was coming over. Had he ever had a proper conversation with any of them outside of the walls of the Academy? He’d only ever met Jim, and he could practically count those times on one hand. McCoy met his gaze steadily nevertheless, as if this wasn’t uncommon. “Admiral Pike.”

“Doctor McCoy,” he replied with a polite nod. “Sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering where Kirk was.”

“He went to the bathroom. Twenty minutes ago.” Pike could read McCoy’s expression as easily as he could read Phil’s and Number One’s. It was screaming for Pike to do what McCoy couldn’t. “He walked toward the front rather than the back where the bathrooms are though, so I’m sure he’s just gotten lost.”

Pike knew what he had to do. They exchanged another nod, wordless in a way that Pike preferred, because sometimes words could ruin things. But when he exited the bar and found Kirk sitting on the curb not to far away with his half empty glass beside him, he knew words would be needed, because he was sure Kirk and his family had avoided them for far too long.

Jim glanced up when he approached, but he merely raised an eyebrow as Pike settled down beside him, his knees only protesting a little bit. Damn, he was getting old.

“You know,” he said after a brief moment of silence. “I think you were onto something, coming out here. It’s definitely calmer. And the breeze feels good. And if it wasn’t so cloudy the stars would look amazing. Yes, definitely a good idea.”

Jim’s lips twitched with amusement, but it was short-lived, and Pike caught the transition back to whatever was happening to his face. He was sure it was his mask; some sort of poker face mixed with something Pike couldn’t pinpoint. He didn’t like it.

“I guess it’s also a good place to be alone, huh? Sorry I sort of ruined that,” he added as an afterthought. He could definitely understand the longing to be alone.

But Jim was assuring him it was fine. “I should’ve gone back in ages ago, but…” He trailed off, but Pike understood.

He licked his lips. “It’s okay, you know.”

“Hmm?”

“To want to be alone. To feel down. Just to feel. I don’t blame you.”

Jim’s laugh was humorless. “You know. Why am I even surprised?”

Pike couldn’t blame him for his snappy tone. “If it’s any consolation, I remembered it was your birthday first. Which reminds me. Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” Jim didn’t look at him, only leaned forward to rest his arms on his folder knees. “One year older and none the wiser. Remind me why I agreed to come here in the first place?”

“Because it’s your first birthday with your friends. Here, in a place where you can grow and challenge yourself. Or maybe McCoy forced you. What do I know.”

“I’d say Uhura and Gaila were definitely more adamant than Bones was.”

“See? You had no choice.”

Jim laughed again, and this time it was brighter. “They only have themselves to blame that I ditched them.”

“Exactly.” Pike was grinning now. “But hey, at least you won’t have to pay for your own booze today, will you?”

Jim was shaking his head. “They pretty much have me covered. I should take advantage of it. I haven’t even finished the one Bones got me.” He pointed to the glass on the sidewalk.

“Better hurry then, because I’m buying you one too.” Pike made a movement to get up, but Jim remained where he was, though his eyes found Pike’s

“Can we stay for a little longer? I need… I don’t know.”

“Sure,” Pike was quick to say, not missing the way Kirk had asked  _them_ to stay. Not just himself. “Maybe we need to get a bigger and more permanent smile on your face before going back anyway.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with my smile?”

“It’s practically non existent right now.”

It wasn’t really, but it faded quickly, and Pike didn’t like it.

“As if you’re a big smiler,” Jim replied, and Pike could tell he was holding back a grin, which was counterproductive.

“At least I know  _how_ to smile,” he shot back, ever the mature adult. But it worked. Jim’s lips quirked upward, and he was gonna make it stay that way.

In retrospect he wasn’t entirely sure how he’d gotten it into his head to reach out and do it, because they didn’t know each other too well and it could end as badly as anything. But he’d done it, and fortunately for him it had all worked out. But for a brief moment, just as his hand had darted out and grabbed Jim’s left knee, a wave of panic had washed over him, because he could have been stepping over so many lines that he’d been unaware of up until that point.

But Jim just jerked away with a laugh and a somewhat high pitched, “Wait, what are you doing?” And he didn’t sound freaked out or uncomfortable. In fact, he sounded intrigued, which had in turn made Pike intrigued.

“Making sure you smile,” he simply said, and his hand found his knee again, squeezing just above the kneecap this time and refusing to let the kid pull his leg away until he’d gotten at least a couple of laughs out of him. Which he did. Because apparently Jim Kirk was too ticklish for his own good. Which was interesting.

Very interesting.

“Hey, come ohon,” he giggled out, and Pike wasn’t sure if he could classify that as a protest, because he technically hadn’t asked him to stop. “Don’t be mean.”

“Aw, you don’t think I’m mean,” he replied, that beer finally getting a bit too him, just as he was sure Jim’s was getting to Jim. “But hey, there’s that smile! And it’s accompanied by a laugh. How wonderful.”

Jim finally managed to turn away enough for his knees to be out of Pike’s reach, but Pike wasn’t deterred and simply curled his fingers against the kid’s neck, which produced the most wonderful cry of, “Wait, nohoho!”

Maybe Pike was a sadist. Maybe Kirk didn’t really mind it.

“I’m smiling!” Jim suddenly exclaimed. “I’m smihihiling!”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I think we should make it slightly more permanent, you know? So that it won’t disappear for a while.”

It occurred to Pike that he was essentially giving the kid birthday tickles, and he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about it, but hearing him laugh was nice and probably well needed. For Kirk, that is. Not for Pike. Okay, maybe a little bit for Pike too. He liked seeing people happy, okay?

Jim’s laughter was more high pitched than he thought it would be, and he realized it was only his real, uncontrollable laughter that reached this pitch. This was good information to know, for now he could make out a fake laugh from a real one easily. He was sure he would encounter a lot of fake laughter and fake smiles throughout the years from Jim Kirk, and he would have to remind himself to not take it too personally.

When he stopped it was because Jim had fallen to a horizontal position in an attempt to get away and managed to knock his glass over in the process, and Pike found it too funny to not sit there and laugh about it for a while, so when they finally returned to the bar they were both wearing smiles that could almost be classified as permanent, though Pike refused to admit that out loud because he liked the brief panic that flashed across Jim’s face whenever he reminded him to smile.

Pike bought him a drink and their two tables became one, and the students only found it a little weird to be drinking with Pike and his friends, but they were all well into their third or fourth drinks already to really care, and Pike felt content. And whenever he glanced over at Jim, who was back in his seat next to McCoy, he knew he shared his sentiment.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com) for tickle fics.
> 
> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasasideblog.tumblr.com) for non-tickle fics.


End file.
